Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

A symposium on Information Privacy, Security and Forensics in the Digital Age will be held at the National Library of Wales on Thursday 6th September, jointly hosted by Aberystwyth University and the National Library of Wales. There has been unprecedented activity in this area in the second decade of this millennium, with the UN ruling that internet access is a basic human right, the deliberations of the Leveson Enquiry regarding press standards and surveillance culture, and EU e-privacy and data protection reform, to name a few. Discussion on the public and private spheres in the digital age has aroused much critical commentary and has led to the revising of the meaning of public and private in the realm of information. Developments in on-line communication and commerce have popularised this debate and the question of what information is, or should be, public and private, is one which reflects the complexity and interconnectivity of personal and public personas. The organiser of th...

The new Secretary of State for Wales David Jones announced yesterday that “the economy really takes priority over everything else”. Friends of the Earth Cymru has cautioned that Mr Jones needs to focus his support on the green economy. Gareth Clubb, Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said: “The economy can only function on a planet that is able to sustain us. David Jones needs to recognise that when the planet is facing some of its biggest challenges in history, the focus must be on a genuinely sustainable economy. “That means massive investment in renewable energy and saying no to expensive, dangerous and unnecessary nuclear. It means a programme of retrofitting all the leaky, drafty houses in Wales so that fuel poverty and cold homes become a thing of the past. “In the past few months we’ve seen the CBI demand stronger government support for the green economy, recognising that one third of the UK economy’s growth comes from green businesses[1]. “The Green Alliance has just...

Ronnie O'Sullivan plays his first tournament of the season at South West Snooker Academy, Gloucester All the World's Top 16 elite Snooker players are amongst the 90 professionals competing in World Snooker's PTC Event 3 at South West Snooker Academy in Quedgeley between 7 and 9 September 2012. World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan will play his first competitive match since lifting the World title in Sheffield last May. China's Ding Junhui appears in a PTC event for the first time this season. Among the host of stars are the winners of Events 1 and 2, Stephen Maguire and Martin Gould, as well as some of the legendary figures of the sport including Steve Davis, Jimmy White, Ken Doherty and Tony Drago. World Number One Mark Selby, fresh from victory in Germany, will be attempting to win his first PTC at Gloucester, while Judd Trump will be aiming to please his army of fans from Bristol by adding another victory. Also from Bristol is Andrew Norman, the recently appointed Op...

The 'Voice of Wales' is teaming up with the Principality's favourite comedian for a series of special events. Paul Child will be in concert with The Welsh Television Orchestra and special guests including comedian Phil Evans at the following venues - Sat Sept 8 Pontardawe Arts Centre 01792 863722 Fri Sept 14 Porthcawl Grand Pavilion 01656 815995 Fri Sept 21 Pontypridd Muni Arts Centre 01443 485934 Sat Sept 29 Congress Theatre, Cwmbran 01633 868239 My Wales - The Best Of Paul Child is a new double CD from the singer, available now from Asda, HMV, Tesco stores and all good musical outlets. Also available online from Amazon or for download from iTunes and  www.paulchild.com Paul Child is Wales's biggest-selling independent recording artist. With special guests including top Welsh comedian Phil Evans and a fantastic live orchestra, this is a show not to be missed! Tickets are now on sale for all venues, all priced around £10 - please book ea...

Statement issued by Llanelli AFC spokesman Nigel Richards - " Llanelli AFC can confirm that the outstanding money owed to HMRC was paid this afternoon and the subsequent winding-up order will not be actioned." See earlier post - http://sirgarblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/llanelli-football-club-vow-to-tackle.html See latest news story - http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/red/story-16813216-detail/story.html

New figures show Carmarthenshire is continuing to reduce the amount of rubbish it is sending to landfill. During 2011/12 the county sent 16,581 tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) to landfill – that’s just 56% of its 29,611 tonnes allowance. It is also a reduction of 4,022 tonnes on the previous year. The figures have been revealed in the Landfill Allowances Scheme for Wales annual report, published by the Environment Agency Wales. The Landfill Allowances Scheme (LAS) limits the amount of biodegradable waste - such as paper, cardboard and kitchen scraps - that councils are allowed to send to landfill. Exceeding these allowances can lead to severe financial penalties. As well as saving councils money, reducing the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill also cuts greenhouse gas emissions and helps reduce climate change. Instead the aim is to encourage the reduction, recycling, composting and treatment of this type of waste. Carmarthenshire was one of nine local authori...

The Iechyd Da beer column from the Carmarthen Journal by Simon Buckley, chief executive of the Evan-Evans Brewery in Llandeilo. Well, for those of you that stomped away at Brecon Jazz, it was a memorable weekend of beer, music and good food. A totally happy and crisis-free weekend, where the crowd were up and dancing, from almost dawn to dusk, and beyond. So is Brecon Jazz back and here to stay? Well that’s a question for others, but there is no doubt that the Jazz ‘Fringe’ movement is here to stay, and whether it is at Llandeilo, or at the Fringe Festival at the George in Brecon, cask ale is an important part of the mix. The George is now unquestionably one of the great jazz venues in Wales, and if you did not go this year, come next, first to Llandeilo Jazz, and then exactly one month later to Brecon. It’s one hell of a party, not to be missed. We were proud to be part of both events, and it was great to see that for both weekends the rains of this dull summer abated, and we en...

Looking after business, the business page column from the Carmarthen Journal . . . by Nigel Roberts, finance and banking specialist with Carmarthen-based accountants Clay Shaw Butler Making sure you have adequate finance is a fact of life if you run a business. Whether you are looking to expand, undertake a specific project or simply fund your day-to-day purchases, finance is essential. Obtaining finance is not always easy, especially if yours is a small business or a recent start-up. Borrowing may be difficult due to lack of security. A grant may be the answer. What is a grant? A grant is a sum of money awarded, by the government or other organisation, for a specific project or purpose. Normally it will cover only some of the costs (typically between 15% and 50%); the business will need to fund the balance. One of the main features of a grant is that the money is not repayable provided that the terms and conditions of the grant are met. But, having said that, their ava...

Had a letter published in the Carmarthen Journal last week re the continuing debate about Carmarthenshire News - the county council and local service board's regular newsletter. Not all of it made it into print. Here is the 'unedited' version -  It was interesting to read the ‘War of Words’ story about the costs of Carmarthenshire County Council’s Carmarthenshire News ‘news-sheet’on Page 9 of the Journal (August 22). My eyebrows went up higher than a Roger Moore impersonator when I read that the council had not retained all back editions for the last five years – and it hadn’t recorded the cost of individual adverts. Perhaps this is an indication of the manner in which the council has used the newsletter as a ‘toy train-set plaything’. Having some experience of running newspapers and newsletters, I know that in the ‘real world’ of newspaper budgets it was always considered proper to keep records of such matters. Like Carmarthen East and Dinefwr AM Rhodri Glyn Thomas, I a...

Burry Port RNLI supporters have organised a fund-raising golf day at The Ashburnham Championship Links Golf Club on Friday, September 14. Entries are invited from teams of four to compete on a Stableford competition basis. Prizes will be awarded to the first eight teams. There will also be prizes for the longest drive, nearest to the hole and hole-in-one. The entry fee is £120 per team. Tee-off times are between 9.30am and 1.30pm. Call Roger Bowen on 07890 728584.

The team at QualitySolicitors Redkite, the biggest law firm in West Wales, has just been awarded a new ‘quality mark’ for legal aid services. The firm has received the Specialist Quality Mark (SQM), a benchmark first introduced in 2002 as a quality management system for legal aid providers. It is part of a family of standards that aims to enable legal services providers and organisations to demonstrate that they are well-managed, provide good levels of client care and have systems in place to ensure delivery of good quality advice. Managing Partner Luke Smith said he was delighted with the SQM award. “A great deal of hard work and effort goes into securing benchmark awards like SQM and the team at QualitySolicitors Redkite deserve praise for their efforts. “Of course, the main aim of securing a ‘quality mark’ such as this is to demonstrate to customers that we do exactly ‘what it says on the tin’ when it comes to delivering legal aid services.” The legal aid scheme in England and Wal...

Ashburnham Golf Club's Elliot Anderson knocked out highly-rated Craig Melding from Neath in the first round of the Welsh Amateur Championship at Royal St David's Golf Club in Harlech. But in the second round Anderson bowed out to 2011 winner Jason Shufflebotham. Meanwhile, the Ashburnham club is pulling in new members. And a major factor in the membership boost is the dreadful weather. "It's something of a curiosity this year, but we have pulled in 26 new members," said Ashburnham club manager Huw Morgan. "The reason is simple: no matter what the weather, you can get a game of golf here. "When other courses have to put up the 'no play' signs, we just carry on because we have perfect drainage. Many recruits have come to us because of our reputation as a championship links course. "Others have switched from other clubs simply because the bad weather has stopped them getting on to the greens and fairways at other clubs."

The Ashburnham Junior Team were crowned Dyfed champions following the 36-hole Junior County Championships in Glyn Abbey in the Gwendraeth Valley. Jake Griffiths clinched the season-long Individual Order of Merit title after shooting two gross scores of 71 & 73. Edward Beynon Davies narrowly missed out on the Net Trophy and had to settle for runners-up spot following rounds of 67 & 68. Ashburnham Junior Captain Oliver Rumble, who shot a 71 gross in the afternoon round, collected the trophy on behalf of the team. Welsh Boys international Zac Galliford, from Borth and Ynyslas won the County Title with two brilliant sub-par rounds of 65 & 67. The Ashburnham junior team will now represent Dyfed in the all Wales Finals. The finals will be held at Builth Wells Golf Club in October. Ashburnham junior golf organiser Richard Brice said he was delighted with the team's success. He added: "The boys were a credit to the Ashburnham Golf Club. Developing young ta...

Six people have been fined for dropping litter following a week of targeted enforcement action in the Ammanford area. Council environmental enforcement officers carried out patrols in Ammanford, Betws and Llandybie as part of a week of action to clean up the county of dog fouling and litter. The officers issued six fixed penalty notices for £75, mainly for cigarette-related litter, and also spoke to a number of residents about what they were doing to help raise awareness. Failure to pay the fixed penalty notices could result in prosecution in the magistrates court and a maximum fine of £2,500. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said litter and dog fouling was a priority for the council and this is reflected in an increase in the number of fixed penalty notices being issued. He said: “Enforcement officers carry out patrols across the county and anyone caught throwing litter or failing to clean up after their dog will be fined. “Hopefully these ...

There's a real ale festival at Ffos Las Racecourse in the Gwendraeth Valley on Sunday, September 16. You can enjoy the last of the Flat racing action for 2012. On the day you can expect great flat racing action combined with free beer tasting and great entertainment. Performing live with great entertainment after racing are 'Expecting Company'. Tickets only £14.

Carers in West Wales are being asked their views on a strategy which outlines how agencies will work together to support them. Hywel Dda Health Board and the three local authorities have worked together on the draft Information and Consultation Strategy which will sets out how they will all work together to provide information to carers and include carers in the arrangements made for those they care for. The strategy highlights the importance of effective early identification and engagement of carers, increasing take-up of carers needs assessments and the wide availability of appropriate information provision on services, support and entitlements. Joint training and engagement with staff across agencies is recognised as being key to this process. The strategy outlines how health and social care staff will be engaged, the training which will be made available to them to ensure carers are identified at an early stage and ensure they have full access to support. Hywel Dda Health Board ...

This week's special offers from the Jenkins Bakery - WEEK COMMENCING 03/09/12 3 MEDIUM CORNED BEEF PASTIES £1.60 2 BBQ CHICKEN PASTIES £2.00 2 LARGE CORNED BEEF PASTIES £1.85 2 FRESH CREAM ECLAIRS £1.60 2 CUSTARD SLICES £1.50 SANDWICH OF THE WEEK – CHICKEN TIKKA £2.20 BAGUETTE OF THE WEEK – HAM & CHEESE £2.25 CHICKEN TIKKA CIABATTA £2.25 ROLLS OF THE WEEK – BROWN BAPS PACK OF 4 £1.00 LOAF OF THE WEEK – 2 BAKESTONES £1.30 Check out their website -  http://jenkinsbakery.co.uk/

Sorry for the lack of news . . . This may explain why I have been tied-up on other things!